University–industry linkages in the UK: emerging themes and ‘unanswered’ questions

Abstract

With university–industry engagement forming an integral part of the policy agenda, this paper underlines current issues and emerging themes in the dedicated literature. It utilises a comprehensive literature review, based on evidence from peer-reviewed journals/public reports published after 2005 in the UK. The paper integrates a wide range of disparate studies on university–industry knowledge transfer patterns, determinants and impacts, and offers a panorama that could be useful to inform on the variety of issues underlying knowledge transfer. Given the importance/complexity of university–industry interactions, a comprehensive study fills an existing gap. Second, due to its focus on current issues, the study opens the way to reflections and debates on critically ‘unanswered’ questions: how to deal with diversity/heterogeneity? How to increase quality in supply/quantity in demand for knowledge? How to increase impact on academics, universities, firms, economy and society?

Acknowledgements

The authors would also like to thank the referees for comments provided on a previous version.

Notes

1. The HE-BCI survey tracked 8095 employed in a dedicated business and community role in 2012–13 (HEFCE, 2014a).

Additional information

Funding

This work was co-financed by the European Social Fund through The Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2007–2013, project number POSDRU/1.5/S/59184 ‘Performance and excellence in postdoctoral research in Romanian economic science domain’.